How Long Have Charedim Been Around?
The Newest Label for the Oldest Jews in the World
There’s a myth that just won’t die.
Online, in the media, even in university classrooms, you’ll sometimes hear that “Charedim” are a new phenomenon—that they only arose in the 20th century, or were invented as a reaction to Zionism or secularism.
But this is not just incorrect. It’s historically absurd.
1. The Term Is New. The Jews Are Not.
It’s true that the word “Charedi” wasn’t widely used until the last century. But the people it describes — Jews who tremble before Hashem and dedicate their lives to Torah without compromise — have existed since Maamad Har Sinai.
The pasuk says:
שִׁמְעוּ דְבַר ה' הַחֲרֵדִים אֶל דְבָרוֹ
“Hear the word of Hashem, you who tremble at His word.”
— Yeshayahu 66:5¹
Those who fear Hashem and devote themselves to His word — that is the original definition of Charedim. Not a party. Not a political stance. But a Torah life, through and through.
2. Charedim Are the Unbroken Chain
To say “Charedim are new” is like saying Rashi was Modern Orthodox, or that the Vilna Gaon wasn’t religious. These great Talmidei Chachamim lived lives of absolute Yiras Shamayim, dedication to Torah, and separation from secular culture. They were Charedi in every sense — even if the word itself wasn’t used yet.
The Torah community of Yerushalayim during Bayis Sheini, the sages of the Mishnah and Gemara, the Geonim, Rishonim, Acharonim — all of them are part of a single, continuous chain. And the Charedim of today are holding that very same chain — not letting it drop, not reinventing it, not diluting it.
We didn’t begin after the Holocaust.
We didn’t begin in Europe.
We began at Har Sinai, and we are still here.
3. History Created the Labels — Not the People
So where did the modern use of “Charedi” come from?
As the Haskalah (Enlightenment) swept across Europe in the 1800s, many Jews abandoned halachah in favor of secularism, nationalism, or Zionist ideologies. The Torah community that resisted compromise needed a label in the eyes of others. So terms like “ultra-Orthodox” and “Charedi” were born.
But as Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach zt”l said:
“We are not a new movement. We are simply the continuation of Klal Yisrael as it has always been.”
That’s the truth. Charedim are not a subgroup. We are the main trunk of the tree, faithfully continuing what our fathers and mothers have always done: Torah with Yirah, halachah with humility, and mesorah with mesirus nefesh.
4. Our Gedolim Always Knew This
The Chazon Ish zt”l, after the Holocaust and the founding of the State, emphasized that the Torah world must remain strong in its eternal mission, without compromise or new reinterpretations.
Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l wrote in Igros Moshe:
“The path of Torah does not change with the times. We must walk the same halachah and emunah as our forefathers.”
— Igros Moshe, Yoreh Deah 1:101
Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l would say:
“If they want to call this ‘ultra-Orthodox,’ let them. I call it ‘Torah Jew.’”
In other words: call us what you want — just know what we are.
5. Why the Mockery?
If this is so obvious, why do people deny it?
Because the Torah life — lived fully and proudly — makes people uncomfortable. It reminds them of responsibility. Of humility. Of truth. And when society wants to move away from G-d, the ones who stay close become a threat.
But as the Chofetz Chaim zt”l said:
“In every generation they’ll invent a new insult for Torah Jews. But the Torah never changes, and we’ll still be here when they’re gone.”
Conclusion: From Sinai to Today, Nothing Has Changed
The Charedi Jew is not a product of politics, sociology, or reaction. He is the child of Avraham, the student of Moshe Rabbeinu, and the inheritor of every mesorah passed down through fire and exile, persecution and redemption.
To claim we are new is to deny the reality of Jewish history.
"שאל אביך ויגדך, זקניך ויאמרו לך"
“Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders and they will say to you.”
— Devarim 32:7²
We have been trembling before Hashem’s word since that word was given.
And b’ezras Hashem, we always will.
Sources:
- Yeshayahu 66:5 – “Those who tremble at His word.”
- Devarim 32:7 – “Ask your father and he will tell you…”
- Igros Moshe, Yoreh Deah 1:101 – “The path of Torah does not change with the times.”
- Chofetz Chaim, quoted in Tenuas Hamussar – “They’ll invent new insults, but Torah remains.”
- Rav Shach, quoted in Michtavim U’Maamarim Vol. 1 – “We are the continuation of Klal Yisrael.”